Starter



Aug. 18, 1942. w. A. V-EACH 2 v STARTER Filed April 17, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WZZZ 122m 4 Keacz Mm; ORNEY.

Aug. 18,1942. w. A. VEACH STARTER 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR. 4 Veda?)ATTORNEY.

M /z'ZZz'am i Filed April 17, 1940 Patented Aug. 18, 1942 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE STARTER William A. Veach, Detroit, Mich. Application April17, 1940, Serial No. 330,123

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in starters for internalcombustion engines, and refers particularly to starters for airplaneengines.

It is an object of the invention to provide a starter which is light inweight, and which is intended to be operated manually in order toobviate the necessity for providing an electric motor and a battery orother means for supplying current therefor, and thus to eliminate theweight which the carrying of such parts would necessitate, particularlyon small airplanes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a manually operablestarter including a spring which automatically returns the operatingmeans to its initial position immediately the latter is released.v

A further object of the invention is to provide a starter includingmeans for automatically disengaging the operating means in the eventthat the engine, which it is intended to start, backfires.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a starter which issimple to construct, easy to operate by hand, and which can be readilyinstalled to start any conventional type of engine.

Having thus briefly and broadly stated some of the objects andadvantages of the invention, I will now proceed to describe a preferredform of construction in detail with the aid of the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the starter mounted in positionrelative to an engine, and the manually operable means for actuating thestarter.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the starter showing a section on theline 202 of Figure 4, and with the pawl engaged with the ratchet wheel.

Figure 3 is a similar partial sectional view showing the pawl releasedfrom the ratchet.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the starter taken on the line 4-4of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail showing the attachment of one extremity of thecable to the pulley, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figurefi is a detail showing the pawl mounted on the pulley.

Referring to the drawings, l and 3 designate two integral and coaxialhousings open at their outer extremities and connectedby an integralbearing la. A shaft 2 supported for rotation in the bearing andextending into both housings has a clutch part 4 thereon in the housing3 and projecting outwardly therefrom, The housings l and 3 arepreferably connected by a neck 21:.

The inner portion of th clutch part 4 is'a free running fit on the shaft2, and the bore of its outer portion is enlarged to provide an annularspace between it and the said shaft 2 to receive a helical spring I. Thehousing 3 is a portion of the engine and is preferably concentricallydisposed relative to an engine shaft 6. The spring 1 extends between thdisc 8 and a shoulder 9 formed within the said clutch part 4 at theinner extremity of its enlarged bore portion. The disc 8 is held inposition by a bolt H! which extends axially through the said shaft 2 andis in threaded engagement with a nut H upon its opposite extremity. Theclutch part 4 is in axial alignment with a corresponding clutch part 5which it is adapted to engage, and the said part 5 is secured to anengine shaft 6 or otherwise suitably arranged so that its rotationcauses rotation of the shaft of an internal combustion engine 6a. Formedin the periphery of the shaft 2 are two angularly inclined opposedslots12. Pins l3 carried by the clutch part 4 project into the slots l2 ofthe shaft 2 to form a driving connection between the shaft 2 and theclutch part 4. Formed in the recess 3 is an annular groove l4 in which apacking ring I5 is provided to frictionally contact th periphery of theclutch part 4 and retard or prevent its rotation when the shaft 2 isturned so that the said part 4 is then moved rearwardly towards theengine 6a, when the shaft is rotated in one direction, to enga e theclutch part 5. The pins 13 move in the slots 12 of the shaft to permitrelative axial movement of the clutch part 4 and the shaft 2. The spring1 tends to return the clutch part 4 to its initial position shown inFigure 4.

Formed at the outer extremity of the housing I is an annular chamber 3athe outer extremity of which is closed by a cover 20 suitably securedthereon, as by screws 2|, and formed in the said cover is a circularbearing 20a to support the outer extremity of the nut Il., Mounted uponupon the portion 2a of the shaft 2 and engage corresponding flatsurfaces Ila formed both internally and externally upon the innerextremity of the nut II. The external flat surfaces pro- 55 videengaging means to permit tightening of the nut upon the bolt ID. Theopposed flat portions 2b in the present instance also coact withcorresponding flat surfaces formed in the bore of the ratchet wheel I!to lock the ratchet wheel to the shaft 2. The inner face of the nut llholds the ratchet wheel I! against axial movement in one direction.

Extending laterally from the pulley I3 is a shouldered pin 25 the outerextremity of which engages one end of a spiral spring 26 the oppositeend of which is engaged by a pin 21 which projects inwardly from thecover 23. The pawl 18 carried by the pulley I6 is normally urged intoengagement with the ratchet wheel I! by a spring 28 which intermediatelyof its length passes around a projection I9a on the inner extremity ofthe pivot pin l9. At one end this spring 28 is held by a stop29-extending from the said pawl and at its other end by a pin 39 whichprojects from the pulley l6.

Extending inwardly from the cover 23 is a releasing member 3l, which,in'theevent that the engine backfires, or if the shaft 2 for any othercause turns in the direction opposite to that intended, cams the pawl 13from its ratchet engaging position shown in Figure '2 to the releasedposition shown in Figure 3, against the tension of the spring 28.

Formed in the periphery of the pulley I6 is an aperture 33 into whichone extremity of a cable 34, having a ferrule 35 soldered or otherwisesecured around it, is inserted. The ferrule is held in its aperture by abifurcated anchor plate 36 which is fastened upon the pulley l6 as by ascrew 31. Mounted upon the housing I are two spaced guide rollers 38between which the cable 34 passes, and at its opposite extremity thelatter is suitably secured to a lever 39 pivotally mounted at 40.

The operation ofthe starter is briefly as follows: When the lever 39 ismoved pivotally from its position shown in 'Figure 1 in the direction ofthe arrow A, the pulley 16 is rotated by the unwindin of thecable 34 andcarries the pawl l8 with it. The latter normally engages the ratchetwheel l1 and turns it and the shaft 2. Then, as previouslystated, due tothe -frictional braking resistance of the packing ring l rotation of theclutch part 4 is retarded-until the slots l2 with which they are inengagement have forced the pins [3 axially towards the engine 6a andmoved the-said clutch part into engagement with the clutch part 5 of theengine Ba. Should the enginebackfire rotation of the ratchet wheel inthe reverse direction would cause the pawl l8 to strike the releasingmember 3! by which the said'pawl would be cammed out of engagement withthe said ratchet. As the pulley I6 is turned by movement of the lever 39in the direction of the arrow A thespiral spring 28 is tightened so thatimmediately the lever is released-the said spring returns the pulley andlever to their initial positions shown. It will also be noted thatthereleasing member 3i limits the rotary movement of the pulley l6through contact of thesaid member with one end or" the pawl l8 and thusfunctions as a stop when the pulley is turned'by the spring 28. At thattime the opposite end of thepawl 18 also strikes the pin 30.

While in the foregoing-the preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen described and shown, it is understood that the invention issusceptible to such alterations and modifications as fall within thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A starter comprising a housing, a shaft supported for rotationtherein, a pulley freely mounted on the shaft, a cable having oneextremity secured to the pulley, said cable being wound around saidpulley and its opposite extremity projecting through an opening formedin the housing for turning the pulley in one direction, a ratchet wheelfixed on the shaft, a pawl pivotally supported by the pulley, springmeans tending to retain the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel, acover on the housing, a spring having one extremity secured to the coverand its other extremity connected to the pulley to turn the latter inthe other direction to rewind the cable thereon, a bearing in the coversupporting the shaft, and a rigid releasing member projecting from thecover to disengage the pawl from the ratchet wheel when the shaft isturned in the other direction, said releasing member also acting as astop to limit the'rotation of the pulley in both directions.

2. A starter comprising two opposed coaxial housings connected by anintegral bearing, a cover on the outer extremity of one housing having abearing therein, a shaft supported in said integral bearing andprojecting into both housings, a nut supported for rotation in the coverbearing, a screw extending axially through the shaft in engagement withsaidnut, a pulley freely mounted on said shaft, a ratchet wheel fixed onsaid shaft, said ratchet wheel and pulley being axially supportedbetween the nut and the integral bearing, a spring tending to rotate thepulley in one direction, means for turning the pulley in the oppositedirection, a pawl carried by the pulley, a spring for holding the pawlin engagement with the ratchet wheel when the pulley is turned in saidopposite direction, a releasing member for disengaging the pawl from theratchet wheel when the shaft is turned in said one direction, a clutchpart around the shaft in the other housing, coacting means onthe clutchpart and housing for moving the former axially outward when the shaft isturned through the pulley rotation in said opposite direction, wherebysaid clutch part is adapted to be moved into engagement with a,corresponding clutch part on another shaft, and spring means held inposition by said screw and coacting with the first named clutch parttending to return the latter axially to its inward position.

3. A manually operable starter for an aircraft engine having a shaftcomprising a housing, a starter shaft in the housing and aligned withthe engine shaft, a pulley concentrically mounted on the starter shaft,a ratchet wheel fixed to the starter shaft, a pawl pivotally mounted onthe pulley, yielding means urging the pawl into e'ngagement with theratchet wheel, motion transmitting means carried by the pulley to rotateit, manually operable means to actuate the -'motion transmitting means,force multiplying means between the manual means and the starter'shaft,clutching means to operably connect the'starter shaft to the engineshaft when the pulley is rotated in one direction, camming meansoperated by reverse rotation of the starter shaft to disengage the pawlfrom the ratchet wheel, and yielding means energized by rotation of thepulley in the direction to rotate the startershaft to return the pulleyto an inoperative position upon release of the manually operable means.

4. In a starting mechanism for an engine ineluding an engine shaft, ahousing, a starter shaft aligned with the engine shaft, a rotatableratchet wheel operably connected to the starter shaft, a rotatablepulley, connecting means between the pulley and ratchet wheel includinga pawl pivotally mounted on the pulley and yieldingly urged intoengagement with the ratchet Wheel, manually operable means including aflexible cable to actuate the pulley, axially movable clutching meansbetween the starter shaft and the engine shaft, means responsive torotational movement of the starter shaft to actuate the axially movableclutching means, camming means carried by the housing and operable byreverse rotation of the engine shaft to disengage the pawl from theratchet wheel, and yielding means carried by the housing to return thepulley to a substantially predetermined inoperative position.

5. In a manually operable starter for an aircraft engine having a shaft,a housing, a starter shaft aligned with the engine shaft, a pulleyrotatably mounted on a starter shaft, a ratchet Wheel fixed to saidstarter shaft, a pawl pivotally mounted on the pulley, yielding meansurging the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel, motiontransmitting means carried by the pulley to rotate it, manually operablemeans to actuate the motion transmitting means, axially movableclutching means between said starter and engine shafts and operable byrotatable movement of the starter shaft in one direction to operablyconnect said starter shaft to the engine shaft when the ratchet wheel isrotated by the pulley, camming means positioned to engage said pawl andoperated by reverse rotation of said starter shaft to disengage thepulley from the ratchet wheel, and yielding means energized by rotationof the pulley in the direction to rotate the shaft to return the pulleyto an inoperative position upon release of the manually operable means.

WILLIAM A. VEACH.

